No, you do not need a degree to work in #cybersecurity. But let's put that into perspective. Fiscal Year 2020 Cybersecurity Job Postings (in US): 114,409 - Bachelors Degree or Higher Required: 98,822 - Associate Degree required: 5,366 - High School Diploma only: 10,221 High School Graduates Entering the Job Market: 3.5 million per year - Interested in a Cybersecurity Career: 13% (455,000) - Headed to College First: 67% (304,850) - Seeking First Role right out of High School: 33% (150,150) Military: - Transition per year: 200,000 - Do not have a degree: 29.4% (58,800) - Interested in a Cybersecurity Career: 5% (10,000) - Seeking First Role (no degree): 2,940 Others: - Career Changers (no degree): 5000 - Returning to workforce (no degree): 3000 - Interested in Cybersecurity Career: Stats missing, estimate 1% (80) Approximately 153,170 people are fighting for 10,221 jobs. You will compete against 15 other people for every job that gets posted...but realistically you can't possibly apply for every job in every city. So, no, you do not need a degree to work in cybersecurity. But you do need to set yourself apart from everyone else. Stats pulled from Burning Glass Research and CyberSeek
The degree paper itself is only as important as gatekeepers make it. There are still regions where if you don't have it you can't by law get the role or by convention can't progress past a point. In other regions it's about your now. Your network, your ideas/skills and less about what you did at school years ago.
I agree that a degree isn't "needed" to work in IT or InfoSec but I don't think it hurts anyone's chances and I'd argue that not having a degree could prohibit someone from advancing into managerial roles eventually ... provided that's a goal or desire of course. Aside from that, earning a degree can also expose an individual to other technical and non-technical disciplines, thoughts, ideas, etc. I also understand that college isn't for everyone (for many reasons) and we, as hiring managers, shouldn't automatically discount a person because they lack a degree ... especially for an entry-level position.
Mic Merritt Helpful insights ??
I 100% agree with you. You hit it right on target. For people who say, oh no you should not get a degree or this and that. I know I don't need it, but it makes me look different than the person next to me when we are competing for the same position (nothing to do with networking, which is what a lot of people are preaching today). Yes, you do need to network. However, you should add as much as possible to your tool (educational/training) bag. I don't think anyone could have said it better than you Mic.
AMAZING POST!
It may not be necessary but for me, I’m getting my degree completed just to have that check in the box for the future. Better to have it and not need it, right?
The amount of experience and self learning has superseded all of my degrees. Many efforts outside of a degree are difficult to provide reputation and credentialing but the degrees help in guidance but in today’s world fall flat in many areas. Like Gary Vaynerchuk has said before. Pay attention to what you’re doing outside your normal 9-5 job. Im more interested in what your doing between 5pm and when you go to sleep, those are the real hardworking hours.
Research Project Coordinator | Sustainable landscapes, biodiversity and ecosystem services
3 年Great commentary!